Drake University vs Otterbein University

Drake University and Otterbein University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Drake, located in Des Moines, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Otterbein's 68%. Drake's student body is more diverse, with 20% international students and 25% students of color, while Otterbein's student body is predominantly White (84%). In terms of academics, Drake offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business, Biology, and Psychology, while Otterbein excels in Music, Education, and Nursing. With a higher graduation rate (79% vs. 72%), Drake may provide a more structured path to degree completion. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Drake University	Otterbein University
Overview
Location	Des Moines, Iowa	Westerville, Ohio
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.1%	82.9%
Application fees	$70	$40
SAT range	1190 - 1410	1028 - 1233
ACT range	25 - 31	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	65.0%
Total number of applicants	7,932	3,537
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	2,932
Admitted students who chose to enroll	759	570
Yield rate	13.9%	19.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,125	$49,638
Average net price	$29,507	$22,138
Tuition	$45,734	$33,224
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,160 Meal plan: $5,128	Room/dormitory: $6,318 Meal plan: $5,674
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,904	100.0% Average amount $23,065
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,294	94.0% Average amount $7,792
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $18,053	9.0% Average amount $13,529

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,902 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	2,253 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%
Graduate students	1,973 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	352 Men 29.8% Women 70.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	68.0%	13.3%
International students	2.9%	0.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,758	1,268
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Minnesota Illinois Wisconsin Texas	Ohio New York Michigan Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.2%	69.2%
Dropout rate	20.2%	9.2%
Transferred out	N/A	21.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $113,335 Year 3: $126,268 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,514 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,552 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $92,797 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $80,038 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,587 Year 2: $71,255 Year 3: $78,000 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,903 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $72,353 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,700 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $71,750 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,167 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $70,579 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,063 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $67,788 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $61,460 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,013	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,659 Year 2: $111,017 Year 3: $112,239 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,815 Year 2: $59,858 Year 3: $61,251 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $60,614 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,332 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $50,181 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,872 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $43,144 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,792 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $42,185 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,912 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $37,500 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,416 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,480 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,439 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $37,205 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,081 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,506

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